Millennials reinventing dating

Gone are the days when our elder brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers were excited to meet each other at a pre-agreed time, set over date the night before. I vividly recall my brother wife telling me that being punctual for a date was what my brother expected because a late or missed appointment could have meant a possible mishap on the road or worse, she had simply been stood up. These days, the millennials tend to negotiate and re-negotiate the time they turn up for a date, making the wait frustrating and unbearable for many would be lovers. The quest for true love has spurred Millennial generation to do anything they can to find their soul mate.When that journey seems to have led nowhere, some love seekers are seeking out a third person in this case matchmakers in the hopes of immediately finding Mr. or Ms. right.Single people nowadays need not worry too much because matchmaking services can be found in a click, thanks to technology and the Internet. Desperate singles are registering on dating sites, pay signing fees, submitting their profiles and within no time they are receiving responses in an instant from a list of candidates that may fulfil their dreams of true love.Without a doubt, online dating has revolutionised the way generation Y (your blogger is one of them) view the whole mating game.In a conversation with a female friend last night, she asked me to guess what she’s up to and my instinct were all wrong.From cooking to reading.Little did I know she was signing up to a dating website for what she described as failure in getting the right mate in traditional dating channels. 

As tekkie, she sought my views. I informed her that the problem lies not in the choice of dating site but having the time to trawl through thousands of possible suitors there. The ease and allure of online dating also attracts the very types of people who are inclined toward anonymity. One thing I would like to assure those who go to dating sites, is that privacy, confidentiality and security will never ever be guaranteed.The many times we have heard horror stories of married men disguising themselves as singles, looking to use Internet dating as a sort of one-night stand, preying on women who are craving love will not end anytime soon. In the Western Australia city of Perth, a blud of mine living there recently narrated to me of a story of a woman being taken out for expensive first-date meal only for her to transfer their hard-earned money to their her boyfriend in Gold Coast and only for the hardworking bloke to realise much, much later, that he’s been taken for a ride.These days, googling Contador Harrison’s of this world before a date has become commonplace.Deciding if someone is worth your time using whatever information the search engine dredges up can be as appealing as it is appalling. Before Google became all-pervasive, the only information you could find out about your date was shared with you by a mutual friend or a family member. Despite the trend, online romance may not work for everyone. Have several friends who've tried it and they ended up in tears.Internet love is difficult for many because the relationship is based on a system prone to conning, scams, with people able to lie to potential partners in order to make a good impression.

No wonder things can go awry for many love seekers, leaving them let down, fooled and brokenhearted. Worse, those who start judging their potential dates based on what he or she puts online, you could be committing a huge disservice to yourself and your date. Just ask yourself if the situation were reversed? Wouldn’t it be unfair for your date to make snap decisions about you without even discovering how charismatic and charming you can be as a bloke or lady? Dating in the 21st century is much different than what it was in the 20th century although the desire for love and companionship has remained unchanged. All in all, different way of meeting people these days has ironically made it even more difficult for people to find their potential partners. Admittedly, Generation Y busy work schedules and lifestyles have made it close to impossible for them to find time to suss out the wheat from the chaff. Dating has evolved over the past one and half decade to accommodate Millennials fast-paced, high-energy lifestyles. And it’s an incredible global phenomenon. In both Africa and Australia, two main developments namely the mobile phones and Internet have drastically changed the dating landscape. 

The Millennials may be surprised to learn that in the not too distant past, let’s say the 1980s, the only way for someone to get a date was to either ask in person or to call them personally and privately. Yes, spoken words were used. While it may have sent shivers down the spine of the person doing the asking, the thrill of the pursuit could be pretty indescribable. And texting was unheard of if am to believe an aunt of mine who was married in late 1980s. For the more tech-savvy individuals of today like that female blud who signed up on dating website last night, Viber or Whatsapp messaging for a date has become the norm. One thing for sure is that dating information is being transmitted at break-neck speed although it doesn’t necessarily involve the senses that can start, build and nurture a proper relationship. There’s also the tweets that singles use to give real-time updates about what’s going on in their dating universe but not in her case. Contador Harrison is one of those who cant imagine dating someone whom he has hardly touch, see, smell, taste or spoken to. Damn, that’s not gonna happen in my life. Jaundiced view of interconnectedness has resulted in countless tenuous ties being forged as more and more people become disengaged.